In 1985, the State of Massachusetts purchased the early 20th century estate of Frederick Strong Moseley to create Maudslay State Park. By the mid-1990s it became clear that the state needed additional resources in order to maintain the historic gardens. Members of the Newburyport community that were active in local historic preservation, horticulture, and landscape design came together to establish a group that would collaborate with park management to address the landscape and garden issues within the park. Although volunteers were working together informally in the gardens since 1996, it wasn’t until 1999 that the MSPA Garden Committee was officially formed and recognized as a viable group within the Maudslay State Park Association.

Without the volunteer support of the Garden Committee, the historic gardens, created in approximately 1906, would be in decline. Since its inception, the Garden Committee has made great strides in the gardens. The brick wall enclosing the Italian and Rose gardens was restored, along with the original iron entry gate to the estate. The plantings within the garden were rehabilitated under the guidance of landscape historian Marion Pressley, who was instrumental in the restoration of Olmstead’s Emerald Necklace in Boston. An endowment fund was established to benefit the gardens. The Committee received a large donation that paid for an irrigation system to be installed in both the Italian and Rose gardens and an additional generous donation was used to purchase a replica wall fountain for the Italian garden. Recently, the Maudslay State Park Association was awarded a grant to repair the deteriorating brick wall surrounding the Rose Garden. Grassroots fundraising enables much of the Garden Committee’s efforts, including the seasonal purchase of plants, materials, and services.